American composer Benjamin Burwell Johnston was born March 15, 1926 in Macon, GA. Living briefly in Berkeley, CA, in 1950, he was associated with Harry Partch and studied at the University of California and Mills College. From 1951 to 1983 he taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In this program, recorded in 1981, Johnston is interviewed by Charles Amirkhanian about his career, compositions, and influences. A composer fundamentally partial to microtones, Johnston discusses his discovery of just intonation, initiated by his contact with composer Partch. Heard during this program is a selection of Johnston’s microtonal music, including his string quartet built around the theme of “Amazing Grace” and his “Suite for Microtonal Music”, as well as his “Knocking Piece” in which two performers rap upon the interior and exterior of a grand piano. (from KPFA Folio)

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